The Girl Who Owned a City

Adventure in an adult-free world.

A killing virus has swept the earth, sparing only children through the age of twelve. Fierce gangs form, and many children go hungry. It would be the same on Grand Avenue but for ten-year-old Lisa. Lisa decides to make a fortress from the abandoned high school, a city in which the children can live safely and happily. After dramatic struggles with a violent gang, and though some of her followers choose a different sort of life, she brings her new city under control.

Texas Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List

“"When a virus kills off all the adults on earth, 10-year-old Lisa manages to keep herself and the other kids on her block alive by moving her charges to a nearby high school, fortifying it, stocking it with supplies, forming the children into a militia, and proclaiming the new city hers. But when Lisa is captured while defending the city from a rival street gang, will the citizens continue to recognize her as their leader when someone else takes her place? Jones' artwork effectively conveys Lisa's determination to succeed in this graphic novelization, adapted by Jolley, of Nelson's book of the same title. At times the plotting is choppy, and the book's ending is anticlimactic, but the questions of leadership and might over right will resonate with contemporary teen readers as strongly as they did in the original 1975 novel." --Booklist”

"The strong-willed, resourceful main character sets an excellent example for girls of all ages and the ingenuity of the children shows the virtues of perseverance and resiliency in the face of disaster. Overall, this is an entertaining read with great artwork that is sure to attract fans of graphic novels." —Library Media Connection

"This graphic novel adaptation of Nelson’s 1975 story maintains the original tension and finds room for political discourse." --The Horn Book Guide

"This is a graphic-format retelling of Nelson's 1975 novel, but it feels like a contemporary offering from the camp of postapocalyptic adventure... Jones's gorgeous illustrations will suck readers in. It is an overall engaging story that could spark some lively debate over the true meaning of sharing and leadership." --VOYA

"The questions of leadership and might over right will resonate with contemporary teen readers as strongly as they did in the original 1975 novel." --Booklist

"Jones's illustrations are shaded in brown and green earth tones and are filled with movement and life. The faces of the children are angular and interesting, looking realistically like kids who have been struggling to survive. This will be an ideal recommendation for readers looking for a dystopian story in which young people need to step up and be their own heroes." --School Library Journal

"Like the original—first published in 1975—this is a fast-paced story with philosophical underpinnings, moving through time with effective montages of work and children's drawings as the survivors attempt to create a new society. Jones's art is colorful, bold, and lively, with sharply drawn characters." --Publishers Weekly

O. T. Nelson has said that he wrote The Girl Who Owned a City because he wanted "children to realize that they are important and that they have the ability to think and make a difference." Mr. Nelson is an artist and writer who lives in Minnesota with his wife. He has two adult children. Joëlle Jones launched her artistic career in 2006. Among her varied projects are the illustrations for three titles by Jamie S. Rich—12 Reasons Why I Love Her, You Have Killed Me, and Spell Checkers; the comic-book spinoff of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog; the Iron Man story in Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man #150 by Brian Michael Bendis; and Janet Evanovich's bestselling graphic novel Troublemaker. She lives in Oregon.

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